A joint delegation of The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and the Surat Diamond Association (SDA) had a meeting with Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce & Industry at Delhi on March 10 to discuss issues related to the development of the industry in the diamond manufacturing hub, Surat.

Three MPs from Gujarat, Shri C.R. Patil, Smt. Darshana Jardosh and Shri Paresh Rawal also joined in the deliberations.

The delegation comprising leading diamantaires from Surat including Dinesh Navadiya, S.P. Shah, Mathurbhai Savani, Rohit Mehta and others, as well as officials of GJEPC and SDA requested the minister to expedite the implementation of the proposal for a Special Notified Zone (SNZ) for trading of rough diamonds that had been announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister at the World Diamond Conference held in Delhi in December 2014.

They also urged her to ensure that such zones are notified in the key trading and manufacturing areas of Mumbai and Surat. Early implementation would benefit the industry, and especially make it easier for small and medium enterprises to have direct access to rough diamonds.

Smt. Sitharaman assured the delegation of her ministry’s support and said the details of the SNZ were being finalised by the government.

Photo Caption: The GJEPC-SDA delegation with the Commerce Minister and Gujarat MPs